


Not a Part of The Plan (We might not even have backup)

by strawberriesandtophats



Series: Disaster Management has always been their forte [3]
Category: Endeavour (TV)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Plans, Relationship Negotiation, Secret Relationship, Smoking, Stargazing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 18:37:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7585516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberriesandtophats/pseuds/strawberriesandtophats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trying not to literally and figuratively set fire to yourself, your on-and-off boyfriend who regularly has an existential crisis at work, your career and your surroundings proves to be a difficult task. </p><p>But both of you have always been a disaster anyway even when separated. It's only right that you are a proper mess when you manage to somehow attempt to have a relationship with each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not a Part of The Plan (We might not even have backup)

**Author's Note:**

> Morse is referring to the quote: "A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." The saying has been credited to both John. A. Shedd and to Grace Murray Hooper, but I haven't been able to find out which of them said it.

“I didn’t think I’d live this long,” Morse said, his eyes fixed on the horizon. “So I didn’t make any plans for the future.”

Jakes turned towards him, breathing in the fresh night air. There was no good answer to a statement like that. But Thursday wasn’t around to deal with Morse’s habit of having an existential crisis at work. So Jakes would have to do his best. He was used to being the B team by now.

They were both leaning on Thursday’s car which was bathed in moonlight and parked beside a country road in the middle of nowhere. Inspector Thursday was talking to the other officers down the road and was just out of hearing distance, making certain that the case was all wrapped up before they headed back to the station. The air was heavy with the scent of wild roses and grass. Jakes wasn’t sure how long they’d been standing there, but the wind had grown progressively chillier when the sun was no longer there to add a bit of warmth. But he couldn’t make himself move, or go back inside the car. Morse stood there as if he wasn’t affected by the weather at all, looking up at the stars. Jakes lit a cigarette, his shoulders already relaxing at the familiar movements even if it was just for something to do with his hands.

“You could just stay here,” Jakes offered, ignoring the way his heartbeat had picked up and the fact that he could feel alarm gnawing at him as he looked the man who was beside him. “You know, become an Inspector and solve cases. No sense in wasting all those thoughts on something that doesn’t save lives, right?”

“Stay here with you, you mean?” Morse asked, his voice so low that Jakes almost missed what he’d said. 

Jakes swallowed, his eyes darting towards their superior. But Thursday was still chatting with someone in uniform. It had been an easy case, for once. Jakes tapped the cigarette, careful that the ashes fell on the gravel road instead of the grass. He didn’t want to set fire to the grass, which would inevitably either spread or somehow manage to injure him and Morse. 

Yes, Jakes wanted to say. Wanted to reach out and wrap his fingers around Morse’s wrist and spend the entire night just staying beside him. It was a silly thought, a soppy one. So he stayed silent for a while.

“We could evade them for a few years,” Jakes suggested, hearing the flicker of hope in his own voice.”We would solve so many cases that they wouldn’t dare to touch us.”

Morse stepped closer to him, just a fraction, but enough so that the fabric of their jackets brushed if they moved their hands. Jakes had always considered himself good at hiding things. No one had ever found his emergency stash of cigarettes and chocolates, which was stuffed inside a clear plastic bag inside some clean socks underneath the files in the second to last drawer in his desk.

“Wouldn’t last forever,” Morse said, as if coming to a conclusion to some kind of an academic essay. “They’d catch us eventually, or we’d have to move to separate stations just to be safe.”

Jakes shrugged, aware of how the sound of Thursday’s footsteps were coming closer even if they were muffled by the mud and grass. He flicked the cigarette onto the gravel and stomped on it until he was certain that it was out.

“Long enough though,” Jakes replied, shuffling aside when Thursday stepped onto the gravel road. Morse made a small affirmative sound, already stepping away from him and towards the door of the car.”In the end, we could just run out the back door-“

“What have you two been talking about for so long?” Thursday asked, looking at both of them. “Your fingers are turning blue.”

“About how boats aren’t supposed to stay in the harbor, even if it is a safe place to be,” Morse replied as Jakes opened the door and slid gracefully into the passage seat. There was a brief pause as Morse sat down in the back of the car. “It’s not what they were made for.”

Thursday sighed, starting the car.

“Even so, talking about boats standing outside in the cold is a reckless move if I ever saw one. You should have just stayed inside the car while you were waiting,” Thursday said, keeping his eyes on the road. “But I suppose that watching the stars on a night like this was too tempting for you.”

“Haven’t seen them in a long time, sir,” Jakes replied, aware of how close that was to a dangerous remark. “Don’t see them this bright back home.”

“True,” Thursday answered, his voice distant. “Been thinking about bringing my Win here. She’d enjoy looking at the stars…”

“It’s always nice to get out of the city for a bit, sir,” Morse said, clearly trying to steer the conversation away from the fact that Thursday had immediately guessed that they’d been stargazing.

After a few minutes, Jakes heard Morse’s head slump against the glass of the window which was the usual sign that he’d fallen asleep. Jakes rummaged around on the floor of the backseat and grabbed hold of a woolen blanket. He threw it in Morse’s direction and tugged at it until it covered at least a reasonable area so that his colleague wouldn’t freeze to death.

When Jakes straightened up, he saw that Thursday was looking at him with an expression he’d never seen before. Then Thursday nodded at him with a pleased smile that was gone so fast that Jakes wasn’t entirely sure if he’d imagined it. It was late, he reminded himself. If they were lucky, Thursday hadn’t seen how close they’d been standing before. The darkness might have shielded them from disaster. 

Thursday wasn’t a man who would demand an attack on his own location. Thursday would observe and assess the situation. He’d keep silent about things unless they’d mess up to such a degree that he’d have to come to their rescue.

If Thursday was a ship, he’d be one that would bring them safe to shore. A bit battered and bruised, perhaps. But they’d be fine as long as he was with them. 

The music played on as they drove towards town.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is what happens when I decide to re-watch some episodes. Please remember to review!


End file.
